MLB RUMORS — I started jotting down my response to those Tom Ricketts’ payroll and spending comments in this space, but the thoughts got away from me and it became its own post. Short version: Even if it was mostly for leverage, the implication was unacceptable (especially because it was basically the first time this leadership group ever discussed hard numbers as it relates to payroll). So … setting that aside, let’s get into the latest MLB rumors as a palette cleanser.
Blake Snell Has an Offer
According to Mark Feinsand, Blake Snell has an offer on the table from the Yankees, while the Angels and Giants remain in the race. I am pretty fascinated to see what sort of deal Snell winds up taking, because I suspect he’s one of the least aggressively pursued reigning CY Young winners in recent memory.
He’s obviously a very good pitcher worthy of a big contract, but there’s also just a lot there to be wary of (even outside of the common refrain that “he doesn’t last deep into ball games”). For example, his walk rate was 13.3% last season, the single highest mark in baseball (by almost 2 percentage points!) of any qualified starter last year. And it’s nothing new. He’s got a career walk rate of 11% and has the second highest walk rate over the past three seasons.
Again, truly, I think Blake Snell is good. But there’s a reason I’m not banging the drum for the Cubs to land him on some long deal.
In any case, hopefully this offer from the Yankees is acceptable (I rather him go to the AL East or West than any team in the NL) and that pushes the market on Montgomery and the other two big Scott Boras clients, Cody Bellinger and Matt Chapman.
Matt Chapman: Cubs, Mariners, Options
Speaking of Matt Chapman, a modest update of sorts from a trio of sources.
- First, at The Athletic, Patrick Mooney relayed via league sources that the Cubs are keeping Matt Chapman (and Cody Bellinger) “on their radar… waiting to see how Scott Boras proceeds and whether a deal will fall into their range.” I am happy to note that Christopher Morel is getting a legitimate shot at winning the third base job, but I could very easily envision a scenario where a particular deal for Matt Chapman (ideally a short one) makes a whole lot of sense for this Cubs team.
- We all hope Morel works out at third base, but it’s far from a guarantee. And even further from a guarantee is (1) Nick Madrigal staying healthy and/or productive enough to be a quality 3B starter or (2) Patrick Wisdom’s strikeout rate and 3B defense reverting back to their more acceptable ranges.
- Mooney maintains, by the way, that the Morel-3B revelation is not “necessarily trying to create leverage, because the Cubs are monitoring the situation more than aggressively pursuing Chapman.” Noted, expected. Got it.
- Second, at ESPN, Jesse Rogers seems to keep open the door on a potential Chapman-Cubs marriage, despite being probably the most pessimistic of the beat writers that the Cubs will end up signing any of the Boras free agents. It’s very light, but it’s there.
- And lastly, at The Seattle Times, Ryan Divish reports that the Mariners “have discussed the possibility of adding Chapman to fill the starting third-base spot previously held by Eugenio Suarez.” Divish seems to believe Chapman will be cost-prohibitive for Seattle, but he does report they have discussed it. Sounds like everyone is being opportunistic on Chapman (and Bellinger).
Cubs Interested in Jesus Luzardo?
Circling back to Jesse Rogers’ piece at ESPN, there’s a seemingly innocuous line about the Cubs being “linked to Miami Marlins starter Jesus Luzardo as a potential trade fit,” that grabbed my attention.
If you’ve been following along this winter, you’ve probably noticed the undercurrent of Cubs-Marlins trade rumors, but they never seem to get any legs. So I won’t dig too deeply on Luzardo, for now (ANOTHER left-handed starting pitcher LOL), but here’s the short version.
Luzardo, 26, is a very good, hard-throwing (96.8 MPH fastball) left-hander who made 32 starts last season with a 3.58 ERA (3.7 WAR). He struck out a fantastic 28.1% of the batters he faced, while walking only 7.4%. The contact quality is nothing to get excited about, but the overall picture is great. He’s also under team control through 2026, so any acquisition would cost a LOT. I tend to doubt the Marlins are serious about trading him, but, well, there it is.
Pete Alonso’s Asking Price
Obviously, Pete Alonso never became the true trade candidate we all envisioned he’d be this offseason, but with one year to go until free agency (and Scott Boras as his agent), the Mets are already sweating his potential exit.
Two days ago, Jon Heyman discussed the ways he could envision on an Alonso return, but also cites a number of teams that could be interested next winter, leading with the Cubs while also mentioning the Giants, Cardinals, Rangers, Mariners, Phillies, and Yankees.
Obviously, we all hope that Michael Busch makes moot any need to pursue Alonso. But with that said, in a separate article, Heyman did start to reveal some of Boras’ early thinking on an Alonso deal. And that was pretty interesting.
While the Mets are apparently looking at Paul Goldschmidt ($130M) and Freddie Freeman (heavily deferred $162M) as guidelines for any future deal, Boras is actually thinking about two of his older deals: Mark Teixeira ($180M) and Prince Fielder ($214M). Lol. Okay.
With a monster season, I guess it’s not out of the question, but right now, Pete Alonso is nowhere CLOSE to a $200M player. I really like Pete Alonso, but he’s going to be a 30-year-old first baseman and he just hit .217 (or 121 wRC+ if you prefer) worth 2.8 WAR. The homers are incredibly valuable and I suspect he’ll be better this year. But I’m not paying Alonso $60-$70M more than Freddie Freakin’ Freeman. What are we doing here? Ah, yeah. Boras.
I look forward to writing my “Pete Alonso is Still a Free Agent” posts next February as spring training begins.
Other MLB Rumors
- Mike Trout does not want to be traded. He wants the Angels to spend. And I’ve got to say, Brett is right (see tweet below). The Angels — because of owner Arte Moreno (who’s quite open to discussing deals with agents like Scott Boras) — are just one of those organizations that seem to operate out of left field. They remain a potential big threat for any of those guys. So keep an eye out.